What to Know About Personal Injury Compensation

After a serious injury or accident, it’s common to feel your head spinning with questions. Should you hire a personal injury compensation lawyer? How and when do you file a claim? Will you get reimbursed for your pain and suffering?

Here at Janet, Janet & Suggs, we know you’ve just been through a traumatic situation, and we want to help make the legal process and your recovery as easy as possible. If you or a loved one were injured because of the negligence of another, you’ll need to have a thorough understanding of how a personal injury claim works before you decide to pursue compensation. Here’s what you’ll need to know.

There Are Many Types of Personal Injury Cases

If you hear the term “personal injury case” and immediately think of car accidents and other motor vehicle collisions, you’re not alone. But while car accidents are a common type of personal injury case, there are many others that arise due to the negligence, wrongdoing or carelessness of another individual or entity, including medical or legal malpractice, assault, birth injury or even sexual abuse.

Your Time to Pursue a Claim May Be Limited

If the negligence of another has caused harm to you or a loved one, it’s important to consult with a lawyer as soon as possible, since the state you live in may have statutes of limitations, depending on your case. Of course, certain claims can be extremely difficult for victims to pursue — especially for sexual abuse survivors. But JJS offers compassionate counsel and legal support to help you move forward in the process despite your difficult situation.

Most Personal Injury Claims Are Resolved with a Settlement

Every case is unique and will therefore follow a different timeline, depending on a number of factors — including whether or not it needs to go to trial. However, because of the sheer volume of personal injury cases that overwhelm the court system at any time, they’re mostly settled outside of court in order to avoid lengthy trials and uncertain outcomes.

If a case is fairly straightforward, with clear liability, it can settle relatively quickly. Your personal injury lawyer will negotiate a monetary settlement with the insurance company or defendant based on one of more of the following:

Current and future medical expenses
Rehabilitation costs
Lost wages
Impairment of future earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Loss of quality of life
Emotional distress
Property damage to your vehicle

Insurance Company Settlement Offers Aren’t Always Fair

It’s unfortunate, but true — insurance companies are simply not on your side when it comes to paying out a claim. In fact, most are trained to settle claims for less than the cost of actual medical expenses and lost wages incurred, in order to protect their own bottom line.

If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of another, you deserve full personal injury compensation for your suffering. Partnering with an experienced personal injury attorney helps secure that financial compensation, especially since insurance companies are more likely to give your case the attention it deserves when you’re represented by a legal expert.

Looking for an Experienced Personal Injury Law Firm?

Here at JJS, we’ve been helping personal injury victims and their families recover after a difficult experience for the past 40 years. Our nationally recognized lawyers are known for taking on tough cases in states all over the country — from Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania to South Carolina, Minnesota and more — and negotiating impressive settlements. If you’ve been the victim of a personal injury case, we are here to protect your rights.